Gesture control module, household appliance and use of gesture control module in household appliance

ABSTRACT

A non-contact gesture control module based on the principle of infrared reflection, contains a sensing area composed of a plurality of infrared transmitting tubes and a plurality of infrared receiving tubes, the infrared transmitting tubes and the infrared receiving tubes being alternately arranged in an extending direction. A control circuit controls the switching on and off of the individual infrared transmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes. A signal processor is provided for receiving and processing signals generated by the plurality of infrared receiving tubes and determining a coordinate position of an object in the extending direction above the sensing area. The gesture control module performs precise non-contact control and fine adjustment of gears and thus stepless speed regulation of a household appliance.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of Chinesepatent application CN 20 2010 203 660.5, filed Mar. 20, 2020; the priorapplication is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a gesture control module, a householdappliance containing the gesture control module and use of the gesturecontrol module in a household appliance.

It is particularly advantageous to use gesture control in kitchenappliances or sanitary appliances, as it is possible to keep theappliances clean and sanitary by a non-contact operation. At the sametime, based on a non-contact operation, it is also possible to implementthat the user's hands are not contaminated. The non-contact gesturecontrol module in the prior art is normally composed of an infraredreceiving tube and an infrared transmitting tube or composed of aninfrared receiving tube and a plurality of infrared transmitting tubes.Such gesture control module can only detect the approach, the stay, or aroughly passing direction of an object in the area of the infraredreceiving tube, so that single gestures can be realized, and thus onlylimited control functions can be realized as well. Moreover, suchgesture control module cannot perform precise non-contact control ofhousehold appliances. With increasingly abundant functions of householdappliances, there is an urgent need to expand the operation functions ofthe gesture control module.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improve gesturecontrol module, a household appliance containing the gesture controlmodule and use of the gesture control module in a household appliance.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a non-contactgesture control module based on the principle of infrared reflection isprovided. The gesture control module contains:

a) a sensing area composed of a plurality of infrared transmitting tubesand a plurality of infrared receiving tubes, the infrared transmittingtubes and the infrared receiving tubes being alternately arranged in anextending direction;

b) a control circuit for controlling the switching on and off of theindividual infrared transmitting tubes and the individual infraredreceiving tubes;

c) a signal processor for receiving and processing signals generated bythe plurality of infrared receiving tubes and determining a coordinateposition of an object in the extending direction above the sensing area.

The gesture control module according to the present invention canrealize a non-contact gesture operation. In the present invention, theplurality of infrared transmitting tubes may be at least three infraredlight emitting diodes. The plurality of infrared transmitting tubes canemit infrared light, wherein the infrared light may have a wavelength ofbetween 770 nm and 1 mm. The infrared light can be reflected andreceived by the infrared receiving tubes when an object such as a user'shand approaches. The plurality of infrared receiving tubes may beconstituted as at least three infrared photosensitive diodes or infraredphotosensitive triodes. The infrared transmitting tubes and the infraredreceiving tubes are alternately arranged in an extending direction.Here, the extending direction is an arrangement direction of theinfrared transmitting tubes and the infrared receiving tubes. By way ofthe alternate arrangement manner, compared with the gesture operationmodule in the prior art, an expanded sensing area or operable positionis provided so that diversified gestures may be detected. With suchalternate arrangement manner, the infrared transmitting tubes and theinfrared receiving tubes that are adjacent to one another can bemultiplexed with one another. For example, an infrared receiving tubemay receive infrared light transmitted by the infrared transmitting tubeon its one side and reflected by an object, and may also receiveinfrared light transmitted by the infrared transmitting tube on itsother side and reflected by the object. The infrared light transmittedby an infrared transmitting tube is reflected by the object and can bereceived either by the infrared receiving tube on its one side or theinfrared receiving tube on its other side. In this way, it is possibleto reduce the manufacturing cost of hardware.

The control circuit is configured to control the switching on and off ofthe individual infrared transmitting tubes and the individual infraredreceiving tubes. In particular, the control circuit controls the stateof the individual infrared transmitting tubes and infrared receivingtubes according to a predetermined time sequence. The gesture controlmodule in the prior art generally only includes one infrared receivingtube, wherein its infrared transmitting tube may remain on all the time.In the gesture control module according to the present invention, theinfrared light transmitted by the individual infrared transmitting tubesmight be received by a plurality of infrared receiving tubessimultaneously, so that it is necessary to manage the on and off of theindividual infrared transmitting tubes and the individual infraredreceiving tubes.

The signal processor is configured to receive and process signalsgenerated by the plurality of infrared receiving tubes and determine acoordinate position of an object in the extending direction above thesensing area. When the object moves above the sensing area, the signalprocessor determines that the object is above one or more infraredreceiving tubes according to the received signals of the individualinfrared receiving tubes, for example, by comparing the signals, so asto determine a coordinate position of the object in the extendingdirection.

Compared with the existing gesture detection module, based on anexpanded sensing area, the operable positions are also correspondinglyincreased. According to the present invention, it is possible toimplement positioning the object approaching the sensing area, so thatdiversified gestures and operation functions are correspondinglyrealized based on its exact position.

In the present invention, for example, a plurality of differentoperation functions may be configured at the coordinates within thesensing area. For example, the sensing area is divided into a pluralityof coordinate intervals, each of which may represent a function of thehousehold appliance. In this way, the configured function may berealized according to a coordinate position of the object. By using thegesture sensing module of the present invention, it is possible toposition different positions of the approaching object, and furtherrealize precise non-contact control. In addition, by way of the gesturecontrol module of the present invention, it is also possible to adjustthe gears of the household appliance. For example, the sensing area isdivided into different gears according to the coordinates, and thehousehold appliance is triggered to apply different gears according tothe coordinates of the object, so that the household appliance can beadjusted in a plurality of gears. In particular, stepless adjustment isrealized directly according to the determined coordinate position.Brushless motors and frequency converters are increasingly applied inthe field of household appliances, and thus there is also a potentialfor stepless adjustment. The coordinate position of the gesture controlmodule of the present invention is finely positioned so that it isparticularly advantageous to meet the requirement of steplessadjustment.

It should be noted that the gesture control module of the presentinvention is not a simple combination of modules composed of an infraredreceiving tube and an infrared transmitting tube or modules composed ofan infrared receiving tube and a plurality of infrared transmittingtubes in the prior art. Instead, the alternately row-like arrangementmanner of infrared transmitting tubes and infrared receiving tubes iscombined with control of these infrared tubes and the processing of thegenerated signals so as to comprehensively and organically implementgesture recognition of the gesture control module, and particularlypositioning of the object approaching the sensing area. Moreover, suchpositioning cannot be achieved by a combination of modules in the priorart as well. On the one hand, the signals of the individual infraredreceiving tubes may be disturbed by the infrared light from othermodules, so that the signals of the individual modules interfere andcouple with each other, which makes it difficult to perform gesturerecognition. On the other hand, it is also difficult to closely arrangea plurality of modules together due to the design size, the spacestructure, the detection requirements or the circuit wiring, etc. In thepresent invention, a plurality of infrared transmitting tubes and aplurality of infrared receiving tubes share a control circuit and asignal processor, which can also implement saving the cost of hardwareas compared with the prior art.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the signalprocessor determines a normal distance of the object relative to thesensing area according to the signals generated by the infraredreceiving tubes. The normal distance refers to a distance between theobject and the sensing area in a direction perpendicular to theextending direction of the infrared transmitting tube and the infraredreceiving tube, that is, a distance in the height direction. When thenormal distance can be determined, the gesture control module canrecognize a movement of the object in the normal direction, so that thegesture control module can recognize a gesture in the normal direction.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the beginningand/or the end of the sensing area is an infrared transmitting tube. Inthis way, it is ensured that each infrared receiver tube can effectivelyreceive infrared signals.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the extendingdirection is a straight line direction, a fold line direction, a planetangent direction, or a space tangent direction. Here, the infraredtransmitting tubes and the infrared receiving tubes may be distributedalong a straight line, a fold line, a triangle, a square, a rectangle, aparallelogram, a curve, a circle, an ellipse, or an irregular shapewithin a plane, or may be distributed along a curved surface, such as acylindrical surface, a spherical surface, an ellipsoid surface, aconical surface, a hyperboloidal surface, a parabolic surface or anirregular curved surface within a space. In this way, it is possible toallow the shape of the gesture control module to follow a geometricdesign of the surface to be operated. In particular, the plurality ofinfrared transmitting tubes and the plurality of infrared receivingtubes are spaced apart from one another at the same distance.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the controlcircuit controls the switching on and off of the individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes in thetime division multiplexing manner. By using a time division multiplexingcontrol manner, it is possible to switch on and off the individualinfrared transmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubesin staggered time, thereby reducing the disturbance of the infraredreceiving tubes by the reflected light of a plurality of infraredtransmitting tubes. In this way, it is possible to more favorablyrealize signal decoupling.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the controlcircuit controls the switching on and off of the individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes in thefollowing manner:

-   a) switching on all the infrared receiving tubes simultaneously, and    switching on each of the infrared transmitting tubes in sequence, or-   b) switching on one or more infrared transceiver groups in sequence,    each of which includes at least one of infrared transmitting tubes    and at least one of infrared receiving tubes adjacent to one    another, or-   c) switching on a plurality of non-adjacent infrared transceiver    groups in staggered time, each of which includes at least one of the    infrared transmitting tubes and at least one of the infrared    receiving tubes adjacent to one another.

When all the infrared receiving tubes are switched on simultaneously andeach of the infrared transmitting tubes is switched on in sequence, theinfrared light transmitted by only one infrared transmitting tube ateach moment may be received by the infrared receiving tubes after beingreflected. In such switched-on manner, it is possible to avoid thedisturbance the individual infrared receiving tubes by the reflectedlight from a plurality of infrared transmitting tubes. It may also becontemplated that when each of the infrared transmitting tubes isswitched on in sequence, only one or more infrared receiving tubesadjacent to the infrared transmitting tube, for example, two infraredreceiving tubes arranged adjacent to the infrared transmitting tube, areswitched on. Here, the infrared light transmitted from one infraredtransmitting tube that is switched on is only received by the adjacentinfrared receiving tube(s) after being reflected, which reduces theamount of signals to be processed by the signal processing device,thereby improving the data processing efficiency. After all the infraredtransmitting tubes are switched on in sequence within the sensing area,it is counted as one scanning period, and then a plurality of scanningperiods are cycled. Within one scanning period, each of the infraredreceiving tubes may generate the following signal time sequence, suchthat infrared light is transmitted by one infrared transmitting tube ateach moment in the generated signal time sequence. In this way, thesignal processor may simply determine an infrared receiving tubecorresponding to the approaching object.

In one variant, one or more infrared transceiver groups are switched onin sequence, each of which includes at least one of infraredtransmitting tubes and at least one of infrared receiving tubes adjacentto one another. By switching on the individual infrared transmittingtubes and infrared receiving tubes in groups, each of the infraredreceiving tubes can only receive the reflection signals from theinfrared transmitting tube of the same group at each moment. Therefore,the complexity of signal processing is reduced and the calculationefficiency is improved.

In another variant, a plurality of non-adjacent infrared transceivergroups are switched on in staggered time, each of which includes atleast one of the infrared transmitting tubes and at least one of theinfrared receiving tubes adjacent to one another. This variant isadvantageous when there is a long sensing area, as it takes a long timeto switch on each of the infrared transmitting tubes in sequence tocomplete one signal scan. Therefore, if a plurality of infraredtransceiver groups that are not adjacent to one another worksimultaneously, it is possible to reduce the scanning time.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the coordinateposition of the object in the extending direction above the sensing areais determined based on the amplitude and/or slope and/or phase of thesignals generated by the individual infrared receiving tubes and/ornormal distance of the object relative to the sensing area. The signalprocessor receives and processes the signal time sequences generated bythe plurality of infrared receiving tubes. For example, by comparing theamplitudes of the signals, it is possible to determine a peak positionof the reflected light, thereby determining a coordinate position wherethe object is situated. For example, by calculating the slopes of thesignals, it is possible to determine changes in the reflected light,thereby determining whether the object is in an approaching movement ora departing movement. For example, by comprehensively calculatingchanges in the amplitudes, slopes, and phases of the signals, it ispossible to determine a more accurate coordinate position where theobject is situated. Here, by determining the coordinate position of theobject in the extending direction above the sensing area and the normaldistance of the object relative to the sensing area, and particularlythe change in the coordinate position and the normal distance, it ispossible to determine a dynamic change of the object above the sensingarea, thereby implementing recognizing a plurality of gestures.

For instance, the position of the object is determined based on theamplitude. Within each scanning period, the gesture control module mayobtain a signal with a maximum amplitude by comparing the time sequencesof the received signals. As a result, it may be considered that theobject is located in the vicinity of the infrared transmitting tube thatgenerates a signal with a maximum amplitude. By cycling a plurality ofscanning periods, the position where the object is situated may becontinuously updated. Within a plurality of scanning periods, if it isrecognized that the signal with a maximum amplitude appears on differentsignal receiving tubes, it may be determined that the object is movingin translation along the extending direction above the sensing area.However, if it is recognized that the signal having a relatively maximumbut constantly changing amplitude only appears on the same one or moresignal receiving tubes, it may be determined that the object only movesin the normal direction. On this basis, if the amplitude of the signalgradually increases in the signal time sequence, it may be recognizedthat the normal distance of the object relative to the sensing areagradually decreases. If the amplitude of the signal gradually decreases,it may be recognized that the normal distance of the object relative tothe sensing area gradually increases.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the sensing areais divided into a plurality of operation sub-regions, the gesture forthe operation sub-region is recognized if an object is detected in oneor more of the operation sub-regions. In this way, the sensing area isdivided into a plurality of operation sub-regions, and if the object isdetected only in the one or more operation sub-regions within aplurality of scanning periods, it may be considered that the objectperforms operation on the corresponding operation sub-region(s), therebyonly recognizing gestures within the operation sub-region(s) withoutconsidering other operation sub-regions. Thus, on the one hand, theamount of data processing may be reduced, and on the other hand, themutual interference between different functions provided within thesensing area can be implemented.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, one or morevisible light-emitting devices are arranged in the surrounding of thedetecting area. The visible light-emitting device is implementedpreferably by one or more visible light emitting diodes within a visiblelight range and preferably by corresponding optical devices such as alight guide body, a light guide cavity and a visible light scatteringlayer, etc.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the visiblelight-emitting device indicates the current position of the object, theinput gesture or operation tips. In this way, the user is provided withrequired indications and feedbacks. When the one or more visiblelight-emitting devices are divided into sub-regions corresponding to theoperation sub-regions on the sensing area, if it is detected that theobject is located above the one or more operation sub-regions, thelight-emitting color or light-emitting brightness of the visiblelight-emitting device in the operation sub-region(s) is changed so thatit is possible to feedback to the user that the operation is receivedand correspondingly indicate a current position of the object. Inaddition, if the gesture control module recognizes a gesture, thevisible light-emitting device may indicate the input gesture by means ofan icon corresponding to the gesture. In addition, the visiblelight-emitting device may also prompt the user of the currently operablefunctions during operation. For example, the user is prompted to performleft wave or right wave in the form of a flowing water lamp. It is alsopossible to perform light feedback of the gesture that has beenrecognized in a flashing manner, for example flashing twice to indicateto the user that a gesture is detected.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the gesturecontrol module is capable of recognizing at least one of or acombination of the following gestures:

-   a) sliding positioning,-   b) waving,-   c) hovering;-   d) clicking, and/or-   e) tapping.

The gesture control module recognizes a corresponding gesture accordingto the changes in the positions of the object within a plurality ofscanning periods. Wherein, the sliding positioning gesture representsthat an object, for example, a hand moves left or right (or up or down)starting from any position in the sensing area of the gesture controlmodule. With the gesture control module, it is possible to determine thecoordinate position of the object in the extending direction and/or thenormal distance of the object relative to the sensing area. The wavinggesture includes a left wave or a right wave, which represents that anobject moves from one end of the sensing area to the other end of thesensing area. In particular, if the gesture control module detects thatthe object moves from a beginning of the sensing area to an end in theextending direction or from an end to a beginning, a waving gesture isrecognized. The hovering gesture represents that the object holds afarwithin a certain distance range above the sensing area for a certaintime. Therefore, if the gesture control module has not detected thechange in the coordinate position of the object in the extendingdirection and the change in the normal distance of the object relativeto the sensing area within a period of time, a hovering gesture isrecognized. The clicking gesture represents that the object alreadywithin a certain distance range further approaches the sensing area.Therefore, if the gesture control module recognizes that the normaldistance of the object relative to the sensing area at any position ofthe sensing area is further reduced, the clicking gesture is recognized.The tapping gesture represents that the object gradually approaches thegesture control module along a normal direction from afar in a certaindistance range at a certain speed and holds for a certain time within acertain distance range from the surface of the gesture control module,and then gradually moves away from the gesture control module along anormal direction at a certain speed. Therefore, if the gesture controlmodule recognizes that the object at any position of the sensing areahas a gradually decreasing normal distance relative to the sensing areaand maintains the certain normal distance for a period of time, and thenrecognizes that the object at any position in the sensing area has agradually increasing normal distance relative to the sensing area, thena tapping gesture is recognized.

The above-described gesture detection may improve the reliability bycomprehensively determining a plurality of parameters. For example, byadding the determination of a further approach by “further approachingfrom afar in a certain distance range at a certain speed” in theclicking gesture, it is possible effectively enhance the reliability,and particularly eliminate the disturbance of oil smoke. Moreover, incombination of the determinations by “gradually approaching from afar ina certain distance range at a certain speed” and “holding for a certaintime within a certain distance range from the surface of the gesturecontrol module”, it is possible to effectively filter out thedisturbance caused by a person's head. For another example, in thetapping gesture, by determining these contents by “gradually approachingfrom afar in a certain distance range at a certain speed”, “holding fora certain time within a certain distance range from the surface of thegesture control module”, and “gradually moving away from the gesturecontrol module at a certain speed”, it is possible to very reliablyfilter out the disturbance caused by the oil smoke, the ambient lightvariation, as well as the approach or movement of a person's head.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a householdappliance is provided. The household appliance contains one or moregesture control modules described above. The household appliance is arange hood, a refrigerator, an oven, a food blender, a washing machine,a smart faucet or a smart toilet. The operation of the above-describedhousehold appliances may be realized by the non-contact gesture controlmodule of the present invention without contact by hand. Moreover, it ispossible to realize diversified gestures and operation functions(particularly fine adjustment and thus stepless adjustment) of thehousehold appliance.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, use of the gesturecontrol module described above in a household appliance is provided. Thegesture control module is used for control of at least one of thefollowing functions of the household appliance:

-   a) turning on or off the household appliance,-   b) turning up/down gears,-   c) shifting operation modes,-   d) fine adjustment of gears,-   e) specific mode, and-   f) switching on or off lights.

The above-described functions are commonly used functions of thehousehold appliance. Wherein, the specific mode is a stepless speedregulation mode. It is also possible to use the gesture control moduleto control other functions of the household appliance.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the use includes:

-   a) using clicking or hovering to turn on or off the household    appliance,-   b) using the waving gesture to turn up/down the gears and/or to    shift operation modes,-   c) using the hovering or clicking gesture for confirmation,-   d) using the tapping gesture to realize the switch function.

Wherein, with the sliding positioning gesture, it is possible to detectthe coordinate position of the hand in the extending direction above thesensing area and/or the normal distance of the hand relative to thesensing area, thereby triggering a corresponding function on the sensingarea according to the coordinates of the hand. With the hovering orclicking gesture to implement confirmation, the confirmation may be aconfirmation of a triggered mode or a confirmation of fine adjustment ofgears. With the tapping gesture, the switch function is realized,wherein the switch function may be the function of turning on or off thelight, opening or closing the door, and switching on or off the valve.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the householdappliance is configured as a range hood, the use includes:

-   a) using the sliding positioning gesture to trigger the    corresponding function,-   b) using clicking or hovering to choose the triggered function,-   c) using clicking or hovering to choose the triggered function, and-   d) using the sliding positioning gesture to realize a fine    adjustment for gears of the range hood.

For example, in a standby state of the range hood, the sensing area isdivided into the following functions that are commonly used: switchingon/off; turn on/off lights; first-gear air speed (minimum air speed);second-gear air speed (medium air speed); third-gear air speed (maximumair speed); specific mode (i.e., stepless speed regulation). If the userdesires to enter a specific mode, the user first uses a slidingpositioning gesture to move the hand to a sensing area corresponding tothe desired function, that is, a specific mode. Subsequently, with theclicking or hovering gesture, the specific mode is confirmed.Thereinafter, with the waving gesture, the range hood is switched to thespecific mode. In the specific mode, the sensing area is finely dividedinto a plurality of sub-regions according to the coordinates of theobject in the extending direction, such that the user may use a slidingpositioning gesture to realize a fine adjustment for gears of the rangehood.

In the present invention, the functions, effects or advantages describedfor one aspect are applicable to other aspects of the present inventionin a corresponding manner, and vice versa.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the inventionare set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodiedin a gesture control module, a household appliance and a use of gesturecontrol module in household appliance, it is nevertheless not intendedto be limited to the details shown, since various modifications andstructural changes may be made therein without departing from the spiritof the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of theclaims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however,together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be bestunderstood from the following description of specific embodiments whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a non-contact gesture control modulebased on the principle of infrared reflection according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a time sequence diagram of a controlcircuit controlling a switching on and off of individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes accordingto the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an illustration showing a time sequence diagram of the controlcircuit controlling the switching on and off of the individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes accordingto the second embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an illustration showing a time sequence diagram of the controlcircuit controlling the switching on and off of the individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes accordingto the third embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an illustration showing a time sequence diagram of the controlcircuit controlling the switching on and off of the individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes accordingto the fourth embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another non-contact gesture controlmodule based on the principle of infrared reflection according to thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first,particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a schematic diagram of anon-contact gesture control module 1 based on the principle of infraredreflection according to the present invention. The gesture controlmodule 1 includes a sensing area 2 composed of eleven infraredtransmitting tubes T1 to T11 and ten infrared receiving tubes R1 to R10.Here, the beginning and the end of the sensing area 2 is an infraredtransmitting tube. However, other numbers of infrared transmitting tubesand infrared receiving tubes may also be provided. The infraredtransmitting tubes and the infrared receiving tubes are alternatelyarranged along a straight line. However, it may also be contemplatedthat the extending direction may be a fold line direction, a planetangent direction, or a space tangent direction. In addition, thegesture control 1 also includes a control circuit 3 and a signalprocessor 4. The control circuit 3 is configured to control theswitching on and off of the individual infrared transmitting tubes andthe individual infrared receiving tubes. The signal processor 4 isconfigured to receive and process signals generated by the plurality ofinfrared receiving tubes and determine a coordinate position of anobject in the extending direction above the sensing area.

FIG. 2 shows a time sequence diagram of the control circuit 3controlling the switching on and off of the individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes accordingto the first embodiment. The control circuit 3 controls the switching onand off of the individual infrared transmitting tubes and the individualinfrared receiving tubes in the time division multiplexing manner. Inorder to clearly elaborate the control method, only six infraredtransmitting tubes T1 to T6 and five infrared receiving tubes R1 to R5are shown in FIG. 2. In the figure, the ordinate represents time, andthe abscissa represents states of the individual infrared transmittingtubes and infrared receiving tubes, wherein the high level representsthe on state and the low level represents the off state. In FIG. 2, wheneach of the infrared transmitting tubes is switched on in sequence, onlythe infrared receiving tube(s) arranged adjacent to the infraredtransmitting tube is switched on. Here, the infrared light transmittedfrom one infrared transmitting tube that is switched on is only receivedby the adjacent infrared receiving tube(s) after being reflected, whichreduces the number of signals generated by the infrared receiving tubesthat are required to be processed, thereby facilitating the dataprocessing. In the current embodiment, at a moment t1, the infraredtransmitting tube T1 and the infrared receiving tube R1 are switched on,and the reflected light of the infrared transmitting tube T1 is receivedby the infrared receiving tube R1. As a result, at the moment t1, asignal S1 is generated on the infrared receiving tube R1. Next, at amoment t2, the infrared transmitting tube T2 and the adjacent infraredreceiving tubes R1 and R2 are switched on, and the reflected light ofthe infrared transmitting tube T2 is received by the infrared receivingtubes R1 and R2. Thus, at the moment t2, a signal S2 is generated on R1,and a signal S3 is generated on R2. Subsequently, the individualinfrared transmitting tubes are switched on in sequence. After one scanis completed, the amplitudes and/or slopes and/or phases of the signalsS1 to S10 generated on the individual receiving tubes are compared sothat it is possible to at least determine that the object is in thevicinity of one or more infrared receiving tubes thereof. In this way,the coordinates of the object can be obtained. The scanning process iscontinuously cycled, so that a trajectory of the object can bedetermined, and thus a gesture can be determined.

FIG. 3 shows a time sequence diagram of the control circuit 3controlling the switching on and off of the individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes accordingto the second embodiment. Wherein the difference from the firstembodiment is that all the infrared receiving tubes R1 to R5 areswitched on simultaneously, and the individual infrared receiving tubesremain on at all time, and each of the infrared transmitting tubes T1 toT6 is switched on in sequence. Therefore, only one infrared transmittingtube transmits infrared light at each moment, and its reflected lightmay be received by all the infrared receiving tubes. In the secondembodiment, within one scanning period, each of the infrared receivingtubes may receive the reflected signal from the individual infraredtransmitting tubes at different times. As a result, it is possible tomore precisely determine the coordinates of the object.

FIG. 4 shows a time sequence diagram of the control circuit 3controlling the switching on and off of the individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes accordingto the third embodiment. In a third embodiment, one or more infraredtransceiver groups are switched on in sequence, each of which includesat least one of infrared transmitting tubes and at least one of infraredreceiving tubes adjacent to one another. In a current embodiment, eachof the infrared transceiver groups includes one infrared transmittingtube and one infrared receiving tube adjacent to one another. Comparedwith the first embodiment, each of the infrared receiving tubes can onlytransmit the reflection signals from the infrared transmitting tube ofthe same group at each moment. Therefore, it is possible to reduce thecomplexity of signal processing and improve the calculation efficiency.

FIG. 5 shows a time sequence diagram of the control circuit 3controlling the switching on and off of the individual infraredtransmitting tubes and the individual infrared receiving tubes accordingto the fourth embodiment. In a fourth embodiment, a plurality ofnon-adjacent infrared transceiver groups are switched on in staggeredtime, each of which includes at least one of the infrared transmittingtubes and at least one of the infrared receiving tubes adjacent to oneanother. In the case of a long sensing area, it takes a long time ifeach of the infrared transmitting tubes is switched on in sequence tocomplete one signal scan. Therefore, if a plurality of infraredtransceiver groups that are not adjacent to one another worksimultaneously, it is possible to reduce the scanning time.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of another non-contact gesture controlmodule based on the principle of infrared reflection according to thepresent invention. Compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, thegesture control module shown in FIG. 6 is provided with a plurality ofvisible light-emitting devices 5 around the detecting area 2. In thecurrent embodiment, the visible light-emitting device is a plurality ofvisible light emitting diodes. However, other optical devices such as alight guide body, a light guide cavity and a visible light scatteringlayer are also possible. The visible light-emitting device may indicatethe current position of the object, the input gesture or operation tips.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown, butincludes or encompasses all technical equivalents that fall within theeffective scope of the appended claims. The positional descriptionsselected in the description, for example, up, down, left, right, and thelike, refer to direct descriptions and illustrated drawings and can betransferred to new positions for use according to the meanings when thepositions change.

1. A non-contact gesture control module based on a principle of infraredreflection, comprising: a sensing area having a plurality of infraredtransmitting tubes and a plurality of infrared receiving tubes, saidinfrared transmitting tubes and said infrared receiving tubes beingalternately disposed in an extending direction; a control circuit forcontrolling a switching on and off of individual ones of said infraredtransmitting tubes and individual ones of said infrared receiving tubes;and a signal processor for receiving and processing signals generated bysaid plurality of infrared receiving tubes and determining a coordinateposition of an object in the extending direction above said sensingarea.
 2. The gesture control module according to claim 1, wherein saidsignal processor determines a normal distance of the object relative tosaid sensing area according to the signals generated by said infraredreceiving tubes.
 3. The gesture control module according to claim 1,wherein a beginning and/or an end of said sensing area is defined by oneof said infrared transmitting tubes.
 4. The gesture control moduleaccording to claim 1, wherein the extending direction is a straight linedirection, a fold line direction, a plane tangent direction, or a spacetangent direction.
 5. The gesture control module according to claim 1,wherein said control circuit controls the switching on and off ofindividual ones of said infrared transmitting tubes and individual onesof said infrared receiving tubes in a time division multiplexing manner.6. The gesture control module according to claim 5, wherein said controlcircuit controls the switching on and off of individual ones of saidinfrared transmitting tubes and individual ones of said infraredreceiving tubes in a following manner: switching on all of said infraredreceiving tubes simultaneously, and switching on each of said infraredtransmitting tubes in sequence; or switching on at least one infraredtransceiver group in sequence, each said at least one infraredtransceiver group includes at least one of said infrared transmittingtubes and at least one of said infrared receiving tubes adjacent to oneanother; or switching on a plurality of non-adjacent infraredtransceiver groups in staggered time, each of which includes at leastone of said infrared transmitting tubes and at least one of saidinfrared receiving tubes adjacent to one another.
 7. The gesture controlmodule according to claim 1, wherein said sensing area is divided into aplurality of operation sub-regions, a gesture for an operationsub-region of said operation sub-regions is recognized if the object isdetected in at least one of said operation sub-regions.
 8. The gesturecontrol module according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate position ofthe object in the extending direction above said sensing area isdetermined based on an amplitude and/or slope and/or phase of thesignals generated by individual ones of said infrared receiving tubes.9. The gesture control module according to claim 2, wherein the normaldistance of the object relative to said sensing area is determined basedon an amplitude and/or slope and/or phase of the signals generated byindividual ones of said infrared receiving tubes.
 10. The gesturecontrol module according to claim 1, further comprising at least onevisible light-emitting device is disposed in a surrounding of adetecting area.
 11. The gesture control module according to claim 10,wherein said at least one visible light-emitting device indicates acurrent position of the object, an input gesture or operation tips. 12.The gesture control module according to claim 1, wherein the gesturecontrol module is capable of recognizing at least one of or acombination of the following gestures: sliding positioning; waving;hovering; clicking; and tapping.
 13. A household appliance, comprising:at least one non-contact gesture control module according to claim 1.14. The household appliance according to claim 13, wherein the householdappliance is a range hood, a refrigerator, an oven, a food processor, awashing machine, a smart faucet or a smart toilet.
 15. A method of usinga gesture control module according to claim 1 in a household appliance,wherein the non-contact gesture control module is used for controllingat least one of the following functions of the household appliance:turning on or off the household appliance; turning up/down gears;shifting operation modes; fine adjustment of gears; specific mode; andswitching on or off lights.
 16. The method according to claim 15, whichfurther comprises: using a clicking or hovering gesture to turn on oroff the household appliance; using a waving gesture to turn up/down thegears and/or to shift the operation modes; using the hovering orclicking gesture for confirmation; and using a tapping gesture torealize a switch function.
 17. The method according to claim 16, whereinthe household appliance is configured as a range hood and which furthercomprises: using a sliding positioning gesture to trigger acorresponding function; using the clicking or hovering gesture to choosea triggered function; using the waving gesture to switch to the specificmode; using the sliding positioning gesture to realize a fine adjustmentfor the gears of the range hood.